Diet & Fitness 

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Get fab abs now

That is a tough question because there are so many different theories about the correct way to work the abdominals. Some experts will tell you to work them every day, while others will tell you to work them only twice a week. Then you’ll hear that crunches are the only way to trim your tummy, and others will say they are a waste of time. Even research on this topic is inconclusive.

Here’s the hard, cold, truth: You will not be able to spot-reduce your lower abs -- that is, magically zap fat off that area—by exercising them. The body just doesn't work that way. You'll have to reduce overall body fat to reduce fat in your stomach, and even then we can't promise you'll lose enough there to make you happy. But don't despair. You can make that area look better by toning it up. So let's talk about how to do that.

First, a little anatomy: You have four major abdominal muscles. The one that runs the length of your torso from your sternum to your pelvis is called the rectus abdominis. Because it is one long wide flat sheet of muscle, some scientists think it's a waste of time to do exercises to focus on the upper half of that muscle and other exercises to focus on the lower half. We think it’s worth your while, though, to do some regular crunches to work the upper rectus fibres and some reverse crunches to hit the lower ones.

Stick to floor exercises such as the basic ‘upper rectus’ crunches and reverse ‘lower rectus’ crunches that we describe below. And we also suggest a couple of bonus exercises: Some twist crunches for the internal and external oblique muscles (the two muscle groups that interweave along the sides of your waist) and a lower-back strengthener. Do at least one of each type of exercise for a complete ‘three-dimensional’ middle body workout.

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